CHATTOGRAM, Mar 16: Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud said on Saturday the government's efforts were underway to free the hijacked ship MV Abdullah and its sailors from the captivity of Somali pirates.
"We don't want to say what process we're going through. We're working to rescue the sailors and the ship as soon as possible," he said while talking with The Financial Express in his residence in Chattogram.
An inter-ministerial meeting was held in this regard and the government was making allout efforts to rescue the Bangladesh flag-carrying ship and its sailors, he added.
Dr Hasan further said another ship of the same company was hijacked in 2010. It took 100 days to rescue it.
"We're making efforts in various ways. Inshallah, we will be able to rescue the coal-laden ship and its sailors," the minister mentioned.
MV Abdullah of SR Shipping, a concern of KSRM Group, was hijacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean on its way to the United Arab Emirates from Mozambique on March 12.
There were 23 Bangladeshi sailors aboard who were taken hostage by pirates.
Earlier, MV Jahan Moni with 26 Bangladeshi crew members on broad was hijacked from Indian Ocean in 2010.
Experts have said there are no security forces in the ships, which led to the hijack of the ships.
UNB adds: Indian Navy's Mission deployed warship and an LRMP responded to the piracy attack on MV Abdullah en route from Mozambique to the United Arab Emirates.
On receipt of intimation, the LRMP was immediately deployed and, after ascertaining the location of the MV on the evening of March 12 (Tuesday), it attempted to establish communication to learn the status of the ship's crew members.
However, no response was received from the ship, according to Indian Navy.
The Mission deployed warship on Maritime Security Operations, which had also been diverted and it intercepted the hijacked MV in the morning of March 14 (Thursday).
The safety of the MV's crew (all Bangladesh nationals) held hostage by the armed pirates was ascertained, and the warship continued to remain in close vicinity of the MV till its arrival in the territorial waters of Somalia.
MV Abdullah, which was hijacked by pirates last week while carrying coal from Mozambique's Maputo port to Al Hamriyah Port in the UAE, anchored at Hobyo port in Somalia on Thursday, according to the Director General of the Department of Shipping, Commodore Mohammad Maksud Alam.
It reportedly was moved some 50 nautical miles from its Thursday anchoring spot on Friday. More on page 2
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